Adm. Stavridis told the Senate Armed Services Committee hearing on March 19 that Georgia “is a terrific partner for NATO.” He stressed that “today Georgia is the highest per capita contributor in Afghanistan” and the largest non-NATO contributor to ISAF.

“So they are absolutely with us in combat,” Adm. Stavridis said and stressed that the U.S. assistance to the Georgian military “very much improved the Georgian capabilities from the technical and tactical stand point.”

“In overall they are moving in the right direction and they are certainly very strong NATO contributors and that is well-regarded and well-known within the [NATO] nations,” Adm. Stavridis said last month.